The Otago Regional Council is going through the process of renewing its pest management plan and has organised drop-in sessions throughout the region over the next few weeks to discuss the plan.
The council’s pest management plan was implemented in 2019 and the process will be fully reviewed and a new plan implemented in 2028.
A discussion document about the pest plan said there were mixed results on management of pests throughout the region.
Wallabies are described by the regional council as detrimental to the biodiversity and economy of Otago, damaging grass, fences crops and native bush regeneration.
They are classified as in need of eradication under the pest plan, even on private property.
The discussion document for the new plan said the council’s eradication programme of wallabies was under review as it was described as a challenge preventing the spread of wallabies over a large area.
The national eradication programme for wallabies was also under review, the regional council said.
A Flagstaff wallaby operation has been making steady progress since October last year, surveying more than 5200ha through the City Forests, Silverstream and Swampy Summit areas to date.
Suspected wallaby signs have been picked up in two areas are are waiting verification. If confirmed, further work will be done in these areas to locate and remove any wallabies present.
Since 2011, there have been 22 reported Bennett’s wallaby sightings in the Dunedin area. A detailed search of the area in 2022 found wallaby scat at numerous locations across the Flagstaff area, including Silverstream, Whare Flat and Swampy Summit.
The operation is expected to be completed by August. However, there may be the need for some flexibility if there is a need to revisit ‘‘hot spot’’ areas of wallaby activity, the council said.
The council has received more than 900 replies from ratepayers about pests.
The top-ranked pest was the rabbit, followed by feral cats and pest conifers.
Pest conifers were found in rural areas, particularly in Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes, and damaged water quality and landscapes.
There are specific rules in the pest management plan to remove conifers, both pest and specifically planted.
